2019 marked my second attempt to tackle the elements and to test my physical preparedness at the Xterra Lake Tahoe off-road triathlon.

This year I was in far poorer shape than even a year ago. This was partly because of the lack of training prior to, and after the stem cell injection into my right knee. However, I must admit that I could have trained a bit more had I been more motivated and active in the world of triathlon.

Nonetheless, this race was the highlight of my summer, as far as events go. Although I had to trek to Incline Village by myself and couldn't really share the fun with anyone, volunteering the nigh before and on race morning certainly made up for and even substituted the lack of companionship.

Not only my body wasn't fully prepared for this race but my bike wasn't either. There was nothing wrong with it on the surface, however, during the race, the chain got stuck several times between the cassette and the spokes. This cost me several minutes of the total biking time and caused me to become more and more frustrated. On the other hand, this was the second year that I raced without a proper triathlon suit. Instead, I've been using Xterra's swim speedsuit. No padding, no nothing. Thank god I still fit in it.

As I have mentioned before I set out to volunteer for the organizers. They put on an amazing event and there's no better way to give back than helping fellow competitors before the race. This manifested in giving out the timing chips the night before and similar tasks on race morning.

I spent the night in the minivan, parked on a quiet street somewher in Incline Village. I just wish I didn't park it on a slope, as the sleeping bag kept sliding off the slippery camping mattress. This made it a rather light sleep with more time awake and asleep.

I was able to rack my bike and get ready, probably a first for me, way before they closed down transition. A short warm-up swim before the race allowed me to get used to the water, and got me probably even more tired.

Once the race was on everything quickly came back to me. The many years of racing allowed me to not to worry about anything anymore, and to remain cool before a race. I usually don't think about the race at all. I figure I'll manage it somehow whether I have a good or a bad race.

The swim, as I chose to do the sprint distance this time, was only one lap, or 750 meters. I was delighted to find myself in second place, although the guy just ahead of me kept pulling away. As my arms kept tiring the distance was growing to a point that I couldn't have come back even if I wanted to. Another swimmer passed me just before the end of the swim so I ended up exiting in 3rd place out of the water. There was a good 400-500 meter run back to transition and I started running in my slippers only to realize that it was far worse than barefoot. Off with the slippers and passed back to 2nd place before reaching T1. After a quick transition I was out on the bike course in first place. Chugged some water and squeezed down a gel on my throat to stave off any possible exhaustion that the grueling bike course would demand. I knew I wasn't nearly as strong on the bike as last year so I made sure I wasn't pushing those higher watts early on. While I was passed by several full-distance riders before the end of the major climbs I just kept riding my own pace. This worked out well as I was only passed by strong (and healthy) riders. Over the years while injured I learned not to pay too much attention to these setbacks. Before, it would've definitely annoyed me, but not anymore.

While I wasn't fitter this year I was certainly wiser. Last year I rode the entire course the day before. That likely affected my race performance and took several minutes out of me. I couldn't risk that in 2019 and I raced from memory. It all came back to me, I more or less remembered every rock, turn, and obstacle on the course.

The chain was probably the only issue I had troubles with during the entire bike course but it likely costed me several minutes all together. Not fun when it gets severely stuck between the cassette and the spokes and wouldn't come out. At the end I managed to just that so the world (or me) was spared of a major meltdown. The downhill was even shorter and quicker than I remembered and before I knew it I was back in transition and putting my running shoes on.

For the most part it was the lack of running training and bad knees why I chose to do the sprint race this year. My knees still can't handle anything (squats, lunges, let alone running). Therefore, I started out very slow and never sped up. I kept the pace on medium and had my fingers crossed the entire time to avoid any issues with my calves, knees, and ankles. The massive amount of injuries I've had since 2015 made me more skittish than a 3-month-old puppy at the dog park among pitbulls.

Luckily, everything lined up for me just fine and I managed to jog 3.1 miles to the finish line without any hiccups.

I did win the sprint race, it sure felt good. However, I sure was disappointed that I wasn't able to race the full distance. Next year, though!

If you are reading this and have 1st hand experience, or perhaps know anyone who have tried stem cell therapy for meniscus injuries please let me know.

For years now I've had meniscus related injuries. Basically, my right knee was scoped in 2012, it was a degenerative meniscus tear on the medial side. I am somewhat flat-footed and been running since 1997. Bad genes? Lack of correction (insoles)? Unfortunate step that I can't pin-point to?

Then in 2017 I started having pain in my left knee. It turned out to be the flap-type meniscal injury. Had to get that one scoped, too.

At least I've got both fixed now, right?

Not too fast. In 2018, just after Xterra Lake Tahoe my right knee started to bother me again. The doc said I should try physical therapy first before allowing me to get an MRI. I knew what was happening but I had no choice. After 2 months of no improvement it was finally revealed that I again have some level of meniscal tear in my right knee and a condition that is like arthritis. I have trouble getting up, am sore after running but not necessarily during. 

The doc thinks I should stop running altogether and focus on other non weight bearing activities such as cycling and swimming. I mean that's great but I just don't want to give up on racing yet. 

I found some stuff about stem cell therapy (also called regenerative therapy, brand name as Regenexx).

Basically I was just wondering if anyone had any luck with it or heard anything good or bad about this type of treatment. I had no luck finding anything promising.

Thanks peeps!

This race is EPIC! 
If a person could do one Xterra race only in the United States I am a firm believer that it should be this one. 
After having recently moved to California it was an easy decision to clear my calendar and make sure that I'm  fit and ready for this race. 
While I was ready I can't say exactly that I was 100% fit. No excuses here, but during the last couple of years, I battled with all sorts of injuries from ankle sprains to hamstring injuries, knee problems to calf issues. Throw in some back problems as a result of snow shoveling- because there's only one way of shoveling snow by hand and that is the way to hurt your back. 

I was fairly fit but at least capable of racing for three hours. A fellow pro triathlete, Jessica Koltz helped me with an impromptu homestay after I realized that campsites were not available on the day of my arrival in Incline Village. 
Her help and her parent's awesomeness allowed me to be rested for the race. Thanks Jessica!

The course at Lake Tahoe is nothing short of breathtaking. The swim takes place in the lake. It's one of the clearest water in the U.S. and arguable the cleanest. During our pre-swim I could see probably 30 feet below. The water was choppy and cold but that's not an issue with a wetsuit. By the way the race is almost always wetsuit-legal. 
The bike course is what really sets this race apart from other races. Out of T1 there's a good mile, mile and a half of gradual climb on the road that allows racers to get in their shoes, put the gloves on, fix their shades, shoot some selfies, and fuel up for the climb ahead. Once starting the climb by Tunnel Creek Cafe there's no turning back. The course is a giant lollipop and climbs from 6300t to 8600ft. It is a rough one, I know, but the views are phenomenal. Riding on the east side of Lake Tahoe on the Flume Trail the lack of oxygen won't be the only reason why you'll be gasping for air. Selfies must be taken here so all of your followers on insta, twitter, or fb will be jealous. On one side there's a giant wall of rocks and steep mountain while next to you is the drop that doesn't seems to stop for 1000s of ft. The view is something to behold. Check out the video below- grabbed from Big Blue Adventure (the race organizer's website) 

The climb continues through mile 16, and it is sometimes rather steep. 
At the top, however, you come across with some pretty alpine lakes, giant boulders, and a scape that seems like it was painted there. 
No time to rest as the first main section of DH requires all of your attention. Drops, roots, more rocks and switch backs are all part of that deal. All of this was on the Tahoe Rim Trail.
Once clear and gone the real DH starts. You'll basically backtrack your way on Tunnel Creek Rd Trail, past the Tunnel Creek Cafe and back to T2.

The run course is fast and furious. It is entirely within Incline Village and never leaves the race compound by more than a mile. Two laps of 3 miles for a little short of 10k in total. Lots of turns on the course and it is suggested that you pre-run/walk the course before hand and not follow the footsteps of other racers. It's easy to get off course in the midst of all the pines when not paying attention to the chalk line, flags, or arrows. 

On race day I drove an hour from Reno to Incline Village. The drive was through Mt. Rose highway and offered some fantastic views of Washoe country. 
I tried to get everything set-up on time and I think I did pretty good. not perfect but who wants to be perfect? 

Quick swim in the water for a warm up then I may have been one of the last ones to line up at the start. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and I realized it even before we took off. I forgot to pick up my chip. Who needs that anyway? I talked to Jessica who made a phone call and my chip was waiting for me at T1. Thanks Jessica, again!
It sure gave me something to worry about but I couldn't let that sap my energy levels too much. The swim did that for me. I reckon I mentioned that I wasn't in much of a shape yet and it definitely showed during the swim. My arms felt heavy and during the second lap of the 1500m swim I certainly felt the effects of it. My swim time was ridiculously slow but I had to push on. Onto the bike I went for it. Passed a few racers, relay and individuals and did my best to hydrate and fuel myself throughout the ride. Caught up to a racer at mile 13 with whom we went back and forth for the rest of the ride. He passed me on the DH while I reeled him in on the ups. This last sentence just summed up my Xterra carrier by the way. 

Arriving back to T2 I was tired but not that much. I feel that there's always a lot left in my tank no matter how much I push it on the bike. Perhaps I don't ride at the level I could or perhaps I am just so awesome that... Nah, it's definitely the earlier. 
Off the bike I ran the first lap conservatively, making sure that I don't roll my ankle, pull my calf muscles, or cook myself too early. 
Once out on the second lap I rallied and passed a few racers and I'm glad I did because it meant that I made the podium! 
I came across the finish line in 3rd place overall. I must say that I'm not 100% satisfied with that result but that's all I could do right now. I firmly believe that 4-5 minutes was left in the swim, 5-7 minutes on the bike and 2-3 minutes on the run. 

The race was well organized with life-saver free food and beer at the end and as far as views go out on the race course it is unparalleled in the U.S. 
It has long been on my bucket list, going back to 2011 when I first delved into triathlon, and I'm glad that I was able to compete here finally, in 2018. 

It's a must-do for any off-road triathlete. Just be careful not to fall off your bike while looking down at the lake on the Flume Trail. It may cause some "minor" bruises. Do your picture taking during your pre-ride. 

In 2019 the race will be held on August 17.
It is worth mentioning that Big Blue Adventures, the race organizers, host 38+  races in 2019. Xterra Tahoe City is another epic off-road triathlon but road triathlons, trail runs (including a Leadville qualifier), aquathlon, duathlon, and road races are all part of their offerings. 

See you there?!

Race results

Race website

When my good friend and professional Xterra athlete Will Kelsay started pushing feelers about this race I knew I had to be there. No, not because I have a man crush on this awesome dude, no (or do I? lol). No, it's because I knew that having Mr. Kelsay at a race, whether as a racer or an organizer means that the race will be a great one!
In retrospect, any of you who competed at this event: do you agree?
I bet most of the answers will be a "hell yeah"!

So this little write-up is a little about my return race to Xterra competition and  and a lot more about Xterra Portland, and it's (hopefully) long future.

As I mentioned it before, I learned about this event from Will. He was very busy letting all pros know about this event months in advance. He did that through Facebook as well as on Instagram. 

The race was held on the same weekend with Xterra Mexico so I calculated that the best of the best in the Panam series would be racing in Tapalpa. I was, luckily for me, right about this one. 

Will helped me arrange a last-minute homestay with a family. They were super-duper-uber-awesome. Nikki and Doug made me feel home. Doug is an avid and active cyclist in the area and even helped me clean my bike the night before the race. I had some amazing meals with them and great talks. The room place was as great as it gets. Hopefully this didn't sound like airbnb review. They are great people! 

The drive to Portland was rather smokey. Major fires throughout California made it breathing difficult for me, while it must've been a nightmare and a major catastrophe for those involved. 

Upon arrival I quickly found my place and rested the night. 

The next day I was able to find some pros who were willing to ride the course with me. Suzie Snyder and Jessica Koltz didn't know much about me before and hopefully didn't regret letting me tag along ;) 

The bike course was a one-lap not-too-technical course. It reminded me of the course over good old Harmon Lake in Mandan, ND. Ya, most of you know nothing about that course. Never mind. It's like that. Fast, windy, short punchy hills, heaps of sand and brush to end up in. The faster you go the more difficult it gets. You get it?

The run course was mostly on the same course as the bike, except a section that was not at all (fun). The trail was led through this pasture that was never, ever, moved before. It was rough, the ankle rolling type. The kind you'd never think of running through unless you're ready to give up running forever after tearing your ligaments around your ankle. Lastly, the swim was in the Henry Hagg Lake. Water temperature was warm enough to swim without wetsuit- not a fan of it as I'm not a fast swimmer.

Race day came and I was ready for this. Or so I thought. My last Xterra was back in 2016 in Canada. Since then I'd had my fair share of injuries and bad lucks. This race was to shake the rust off and get motivated for the remainder of the season. 

Will, the emcee, walked us through the entire race, a tradition at smaller Xterra's. When the gun went off we all splashed into the water. Surprise?! I say I had a pretty decent swim, came out of the water in front of former world champion Lesley Paterson- that was a booster for me. On the bike I had to pedal hard to fight off Lesley's continued attacks to pass me on the single track. At that point I still wasn't up to full speed. When I finally found my biking legs I was able to pull away and ride my own rhythm. I came across a few guys and was also passed by one or two. I did my best to ride hard, not to leave anything out on the course. However, I also wanted to play it safe and make sure that I didn't blow my legs as they tend to cramp when exhausted. Another worry of mine was hurting my calf muscle again. Those muscles tend to just pop and gone even during an easy run. Let alone at race pace after having pushed me through a grueling 17 mile bike race. 

After getting off the bike I put my fears up on that shelf and I blew out of T2. Well, at least I thought I did, you know, it's the feeling when you think what you are like, but what you actually look like is a whole lot different. Like funny different. 
I kept at it and passed back a few guys who got ahead of me on the bike. I ran the first lap reserved and picked up the tempo for the second lap. When I saw that there was no chance of reeling in the guy ahead of me anymore I let off the pace to keep muscle strain at bay. 

Placing 5th in the pro division was a great feeling but completing the course without any injuries was even better. 

The race concluded with a huge slip n slide at the finish line that was probably the highlight of the entire race. 

Organization-wise the race was top-notch. The crew did their best and beyond to make sure that all turns and crossings had volunteers. The course was also well marked. A little more variety is all this race needs and it'll be a great race in the future. 

Thanks again for Will, Doug and Nikki, and all the friends and family of other Xterra racers who clapped, yelled, and supported as I ran/biked past- even if you didn't mean to cheer me on- it felt great-- haha! 

I'll try to come back and race again in 2019. I also hope that Will Kelsay will continue to help this event with his expertise and that the race continues to get better- there's no limit in excellence! 

2018 Xterra Portland Results: 

http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=21108

Find (and REGISTER for) the 2019 race at:

www.facebook.com/xterrapdx/

https://xterraportland.com/

Weng’an Mountain Outdoor Challenge.
 
A short flight and not even a week after the Tai Mountain Outdoor Challenge Team Vladivostok was about to embark on the second race of this trip.
 
This time, however, our team had some major changes. Bobby Dean was racing for another team, and we also had a replacement lady-racer. This time around we welcomed Jodie (also from Australia), and another Alex.
The race headquarters, where our hotel was located was in Weng’an. Not much we learned about this city. While it was exciting to be in China and racing in a new format I was still just learning the organizers didn’t do much to get the cities introduced.
It was up to us to decide how much we wanted to submerge in the culture.
Luckily for us we had several days to recover from the Tai race.
In the days building up to this next race My friends Andris, Alexey and I visited the city to get our bikes fixed, to eat, and for training. The city itself wasn’t too complicated to figure out. It was in a huge valley with basically one main road taking us from our hotel all the way downtown. En route to downtown we often road past this monstrous square that was used for all of the city’s parades whether civilian or military.
 
I was still super sore from the previous race when this next one got underway. No worried though, we’ll tough it out. Right?
 
The first day of the race and the very first event, trail running, put a quick end to all my hopes and laughter. During an unfortunate step I rolled my ankle. I was in a lot of pain and could barely stand on the ankle let alone run on it. I struggled through it though but somehow the pain and probably the lack of proper nutrition took a toll on me. I could barely walk through the finish line. Alexey had to come back for me for the last 4k of running and tow me with the rope. I never felt that exhausted in my life.
Recovery went underway immediately after the race. I ate as much as I could, drank as much as I could. Back at the hotel I ate as much as I could. Too bad that by now I got really tired of the same food. And I made the mistake of thinking that I won’t get sick of the water here. See, I didn’t get sick in Taishan, but water was different here. Sickly different. I used the water to mix some electrolyte for the race and it ended up being a costly mistake. For the next two days I had a terrible diarrhea that made life even more miserable.
To make things worse I made another mistake for my team. On the second day I forgot my racing jersey at home. I only noticed it upon arriving to the start of the race, some 1 hour drive away from the hotel. There was nothing to do. I reported it to the race director who smiled but then still gave our team a 10-minute penalty that was added to our finishing time of the day. I felt bad, as you may imagine, and I threw myself out there on that day to motivate and assist my team mates. The initial mtb segment was followed with a so-called biathlon. There we had to use two bikes only among 4 team members. Two would ride up the road, then leave the bikes on the side of the road someplace. The other two would catch up to the bikes, hop on, then ride past the runners. This would go on until we reached our next segment, kayaking.
I have to say this was THE ABSOLUTE WORSE part of the entire race. This was 24km long kayak upstream and it totally killed my ass. I couldn’t have sat in that damned kayak for one minute longer. I did my best to have a decent technique but for some reason Alex and I just couldn’t match our strokes. Halfway through the course I switched partner and I paddled with Jodie from then. We seemed to have clicked on the boat. For one because she took no for nothing. She made sure that I had no choice but to bow and paddle to my best ability and for the rhythm she deemed it proper.
Exiting the kayak was no nonsense effort. And running off wasn’t an easy task, either. We had to scale a giant mountain, often walking uphill, and to the finish line.
The first bus had already left so we waited for the next, some hour after our arrival. Not fun. My ankle was in so much pain at this point that I figured I would visit the medic tent. There, I was given a freaking massage by a who-knows-who, a nurse (?).. I pointed at my giant swollen ankle and she gave it a good rub. I immediately screamed up in pain and pulled my ankle away like it was on hot ashes. No remedy. Got an ice pack and called it good.
Back at the hotel I was back to eating nothing but rice and anything I found even just a little bit appetizing.
The last day was a Run-Kayak-Abseil/Kayak-Run-MTB-Orienteering Run. We did our best not to lose much more time to the teams ahead of us. I think the last day was our best day at the Weng’an Outdoor Challenge. It came late, however, as the final order for the overall standing was already decided at that point. The MTB leg of this day was one of our best effort as we stayed within reach and beat out many teams who eventually finished ahead of us. Unfortunately, the last leg, orienteering, was about the worst, I reckon we left a good 20 minutes in there.
 
Broken, but full of good memories, the very next day I was already heading back to States side.
Little did I know that this nearly 3-week journey will cost me the rest of the season.
I wasn’t able to walk let alone run for the next month. The ligaments in my ankle was damaged so much I almost had to learn how to use my ankle again.
But then again, the memories will live with me forever.
 
Thanks team!

An opportunity came up to race in China as part of an adventure team and I didn't hesitate to jump on that particular wagon.
After several days of discussions, Q&As, and english to russian translation my passport was at the Chinese embassy for expedited visa processing.
It was all good until I had rolled my ankle during an easy run on the trails. Ironically it happened on the very same day (and after) I had purchased the plane tickets to China.
No reason to worry, thought to myself, and dove into some serious R.I.C.E program for the next week.
The flight to China was easy as, however, standing at the Chinese customs hoping to get cleared was rather intimidating.
Luckily all went well and I even had my own shuttle waiting for me. The 1.5hr transfer allowed me to get used to the idea that I was in China.
On the day of my arrival I got to meet all of my team mates as well for the race, including the team's captain, Alex, a Kiwi adventure racer Bobby Dean, and our gal, the Aussie, Kathryn. The four of us made up Vladivostok Adventure Team and lined up against some of the best adventure racing teams in the world.
The next two days were about getting to know each other, and getting in some light training. I had to figure out a replacement bike shoe cleats as I didn't pack them. That meant that we had to ride our bikes to downtown Taishan, while swerving between cars, bikes, and scooters. Gotta say it was one of the coolest experience I'd had during my three weeks of stay there. People in cars honk only to let you know they're behind you and to notify you about their presence. It is in stark contrast to the US, for example, where it's a get-out-of-my-way-you-stupid-cyclist type of message.

Adventure racing consist of (at least at these two races I did in China) running/trail running, mountain biking, fly foxing (descending on a zipline), abseiling (rappell), and kayaking. The combination of these on any given day makes up one day of racing. While the overall fastest time wins the event. Awards are given after each day and also after the 3rd day of racing. Total prize purse for this race was $100,000, all graciously "donated" by the Chinese government.
The day before the race all teams checked in, received their bib shirts, bike numbers, other swags, and had the race briefing.

Day 1

I had absolutely NO idea what was I getting myself into.
The very first leg of the day was running. But not just your average stroll on the streets, or on well maintained trails. No. This was some serious trail running. We had to climb to the top of the Tai Mountain from elevation 600ft (180m) to the elevation of 5000ft (1500m). Some of the stairs we had to climb were so steep that I was afraid of falling backwards. The route wasn't cleared and local residents and visitors were everywhere along the course as they, too, were climbing to the top of this sacred mountain. The point of adventure racing is that team members must not leave each other, and must complete each leg of the race together while assisting each other. This often means that we must wait for each other, or instead pull each other. Take that literally. We pull each other with a modified dogleash on the bike, and with straps and another laead on the run.

Halfway up the hill we had to carry a big ass log on our shoulders. Bobby took the lead in it, ran up the stairs for a good 100-150 meters. He, then handed it over to me only to realize that just beyond the next corner I had to already drop it off. This made it an awkwardly short hike with the log. Oh well, I tried. Once atop the mountain we started our descend. Running down the stairs was a rather chilling experience as I was waaay too afraid of rolling my ankles again. I did my best to keep the pace with my team mates. If stairs weren't enough of a challenge, the last half of the descend took us deep into the forest, and into a steep valley that has never ever seen human before. We had to climb, descend, hop, jump, slide, roll, bounce down on these giant boulders, some of them a size of a SUV. Never even hiked let alone "ran" on a place like that before.
Once the kamikaze run was over we had to abseil off of a dam. Well, that was a first for me, again. Solved the problem without a hitch. This was followed by another short run before mounting the kayaks. I was  in the same kayak with Bobby and managed to keep a decent pace. The only hiccup was that I was definitely only slowing  down the kayak while Bobby used every bit of his last energy to steer us the right direction and also push the kayak towards the finish line. That 10k kayak leg was more exhausting for me than any 2+ hour Xterra triathlon I had done before. My legs were not only cramped up but also super tired from the constant flexing in the kayak. Kinda wish I had done ANY kayaking in my life before but hey, everyone had a first kayak experience before.
We finished in 11th position after day 1.

Day 2

The second day of the three-day race consisted of run-mtb-kayak-run-gps orientation run-abseil.
The first run was not your average run but one where we had to push a team member (usually the gal of the team) in a wheel barrow, for nearly 2kms. This was fun and extremely exhausting in the same time. Balancing that wheelbarrow at near full speed is by no means an easy task.
Leg #2, the mountain biking led us through a super flat 60km dirt road/asphalt section amidst farms and other agricultural areas. Local people were all along the course that made it super fun as they all yelled let's go that sounds more like "chai-yo" when said in Chinese. The ride was fast and furious. I led most of the way, while Bobby was in my slip stream towing Kathryn and Alex hanging on.
We also caught up to a slower train of athletes (team) who attempted to stick with us. I tried to launch an attack with my team mates in my tow but the other team just managed to stay with us. When we thought there was no chance their female racer made a mistake on a straight road section and caused a pretty bad pileup. After a short assessment of the situation Vladivostok Adventure Team was racing on. The kayak was another bout of torture for me. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't pull fast enough. My arms were dead even before the turn-around. Of course, once I received some education from my team mates I quickly learned that proper technique is key for fast kayaking.
Running after kayaking was another session in the torture chamber for me. I was cramping in my hamstrings but I had no choice but to push on as the team didn't slow down. Leg #5 for the day was a fun orienteering. Alex took the lead on this one and we more or less found the checkpoints. Lastly we had to zip down on a cable to the finish line.
By the time we crossed the finish line the first bus with the faster teams had already left. Some of those teams have been doing this sport for so long they manage to beat teams like ours by over an hour even though our team still had some fast endurance athletes.
Without a doubt this type of racing requires a totally different type of training.

Day 3.

The last day of the race was the longest day of all for us with over 6 hours of racing. The length of racing required us to think about our nutrition as well. Gels, snicker bars, electrolyte drinks, and even red bull, all made it into our transition bins. The body is able to digest some food during these arduous racing as the heart rate remains lower than in Xterra racing.
The last day consisted of kayak-mtb-run-abseil/run-run legs.
I was with Bobby again in the kayak and did my best to materialize the proper technique that I was shown before. We mtb-ed up a mountain, passing by some weaker teams. Then we ran up and down a mountain, Kathryn and Alex abseiled down and above several hundred feet of drops, and we finally ran back down the mountain over some really technical terrain. The finish line was in some village. Of course, 6 hours left us pretty spent. We finished day three in 12th position and with that result we secured an 11th position in the overall standing. This result earned each of us $500 plus some airfare reimbursement. It certainly wasn't a bad start to the trip.

Alex then invited me to stay and compete at the Wengan Mountain Outdoor Quest. Another 3-day race in rural China.

English version- Magyar lejjebb található

My first race as an elite cross triathlete was a blast!

Not only because I had a decent race against some great pro athletes but I got to share the experience with my sister who flew in from Qatar.
I picked her up in Minnesota and our journey begin. We drove up to the Upper Peninsula Michigan to visit my in-laws and recoup from the trip- even though they are located only half-way to Toronto.

In Canada we stayed in a cool little house about a 20 minute drive to the race venue.

There was something to do every day. The sport of triathlon leaves you with not much time to spare even the days leading up to an event.

We scouted the trails on foot and on wheels and searched for some water to swim in. The latter never happened. I did not get a chance to swim for an entire week before the race.

Perhaps not the best idea- we visited Niagara Falls the day before the event. While it was a relatively short, one hour drive from our house, it was still an energy-sapping hot day that I probably should have spent with my feet up, laying on the bed while mentally preparing for the race.

The trails were twisty- sort of what we have here in North Dakota- except that it also included some hills and even more roots and rocks- features that we lack up here in North Dakota.
I always knew that the best (technical) training I get is usually when I race. Not exactly what you would define as ideal but this is how it is.

On race day, for the first time ever, I rode my bike for more than just a few minutes. I joined fellow pro triathlete Chris Ganter for the short loop of the bike course. I don't think for a minute that the half hour we spent riding would have negatively affected my race. On the contrary. The easy riding helped me warm up for the race not only physically but mentally as well.

The pro men started just one minute ahead of the female pro field and another one minute ahead of the amateur field. Race favorite and local pro Karsten Madsen took the lead right after the gun and we didn't see him again until the finish line.
I hang onto the feet of Chris' and another fellow pro and stayed with them for the entire swim. I figured that Chris is a good person to stay with as he's really strong on the bike who can pull me once out riding. The plan worked until we left the water. Then he gapped me in transition and I never saw him again. Once I passed some of the amateur men and female pros back who swam like a fish I found myself in no man's land again. Other pros were a little up ahead while some already behind me. Not a good place to be when you want to go fast as it's easy to forget about the pace for a moment and it can cost seconds or even minutes at the end.

Finished the bike course with still some juice left in the tank. Or just enough to finish the run course relatively strong. I pushed from the beginning but the problem was again that I did not see anyone ahead of me. Once back to Kelso Quarry we had to run a 2k long loop around the lake. There, I could finally see some of my competition up ahead but unfortunately I ran out of real estate and finished in a respectable 6th place. 

Before and during the race I used HotShot, the new miracle elixir in hopes to prevent the almost-inevitable muscle cramps I used to get towards the end of every triathlon. I am happy to say that the dreaded cramps could not catch me this time. More trials required for final conclusion. XTERRA USA's and World's will serve as excellent testing grounds.

What did I learn from this race?

1. I need to swim faster- I need to swim more.
2. Gotta practice transitions.
3. Loving this sport and it's worth every drop of sweat.

MAGYAR változat

Nem csak azert volt sikeres ez a kis kirándulás Kanadába mert a verseny jól sikerült, hanem azért is mert a húgommal tudtam eltölteni egy pár napot, aki Qatarból repült át az Óperencián.

Minnesotaban kaptam fel a reptéren majd onnan Michigan állam északi csücskét lőttük be célul, ahol rokonlátogatásról volt szó egy kis túrázással egybekötve. Igaz, csak félúton volt, jól esett megpihenni egy pár napra.

Kanadában, vagyis Toronto várostól nyugatra egy kis  házban volt a szállásunk Airbnb-n keresztül. 

A napokat inkább edzésekkel és pályabejárassal töltöttük el. Futva és nyeregben (két keréken és nem négy lábon) is oda-vissza bejártam az ösvényeket, igy arra nem lehetett panasz. 

A verseny előtti napon, talán nem a legjobbkor, meglátogattuk a Niagara vizesést is. Ugyan a látvánnyal nem volt panasz és csak egy órára volt a szálástől, lehet, hogy mégiscsak jobb lett volna inkább otthon pihenni..

Első volt a számomra, hogy egy hosszabb bemelegitést csináltam a verseny reggelén. Chris Ganter haverommal tekertük le a pálya kisebb, kb 7km-es körét. Elfáradni nem tudtam ettől és szerintem még mentálisan is jobban rá tudtam hangolódni és fellazulni a versenyre.

A pro férfi rajt egy perccel előzte meg a pro női rajtot, akik ugyancsak 1 perccel előnnyel indultak neki az amatőr férfiak előtt. Nem egész féltávnál már utól is ért a leggyorsabb nő majd sorban jöttek a többi halak is. Chris Ganter és egy másik pro lábvizén úsztam végig és ez jó jel is volt a tovabbiakra nézve mert Chris az egyik legerősebb bringás a mezőnyben. Sajnos a depóban sikerült hátrányt összeszedni és akkor láttam utóljara Christ.
A 21km-es rövidke mtb pályát úgy nyomtam, ahogy csak tudtam, de így se sikerült megközelíteni a helyi menőket, akik valószinűleg csukott szemmel
is le tudják tekerni a pályát. Azután, hogy visszaelőztem a halacskákat a bringa pálya elején, már senkit sem láttam magam előtt. A 1okm-es futást bizalommal kezdtem meg, de tudtam, hogy 1-2 perces hátrányban vagyok a pénzes helyhez képest. Futottam, ahogy csak tudtam, de nem sikerült senkire se ráérni. Ahogy visszaérkeztem a Kelso Quarry-ba megláttam verseny társaimat, de azok még mindig 1.5 perccel voltak előttem. Végül is a 2km-es tó körül sikerült fél percet hozni az előttem futón, de megelőzni már nem tudtam. 6. helyen értem be, ami nem egy rossz hely. Ennél többet az adott napon nem tudtam volna kihozni magamból, hacsak nem ragadok rá valakinek a kerekére a bringa kezdetétől.

Mit tanultam a versenyből:

1. Sokkal többet kell úsznom.
2. Gyakorolni kell a depózást.
3. Imádom ezt a sportot és ez minden izzadságcseppet megér.

Results:

Now, while I am happy with the card and the fact that I can compete with the best of the off-road circuit it also makes me nervous.
For years I was watching, admiring, trying to copy those professional athletes I will be lining up against the next time I race. Some of them I know better than others but I am definitely honored to have finally become part of this "club".
While there's the added pressure as well to bring results on a consistent basis, I like challenges so hey, bring it on!

My next race will be in Canada, this time as one of the elite athletes on the field! Exciting!

English version- Magyar lejjebb talalható

The 2016 edition of the Xterra Oak Mountain/Southeast Championships will go in the record books where I finally earned my right to punch my elite license with USAT.

However, prior to the race the signs were nowhere near that bright. The injury-season started last year for me while still back in New Zealand. I must have pushed my body too much and ended up with a torn calf muscle that took months to heal. In addition I have been having issues with my patella (tracking problems).. Took 4 months off of training between August, 2015 and December but it seems as if it did nothing. Just about a month ago, during an easy jog my calf again flared up and forced me to take a few days/week off from running. Swimming hasn't been the sport where I would've focused my attention, either. I felt I was in a pretty good shape towards the end of our stay in New Zealand thanks to former Xterra pro Craig Evans who directed my swimming workouts while down under. However, with all the traveling and distractions in the past few months I would average about 1-2 swims a week.

Now you'd think that I've had all the time to invest into my bike training but you couldn't be any farther from the truth. I have had some good rides but nothing like the treks I did while in New Zealand last year.
With all this in mind I figured my trip to Alabama I would accomplish two things. 1. Catching up with my old college mate Sergio and get an idea about where am I at.

I pre-rode the entire course once on Thursday and ran the loop around the lake once again on Friday with easy swims in the lake on both days. As far as course reckon goes I was satisfied with these. Race morning surprised us again with some rain and wet trails but this was nothing new as I raced in similar conditions in 2014 when I took the overall amateur title.

Once the gun went off I quickly found some clean water on the right side of the field so stay out of trouble. My plan was to cruise the swim and exit the water after the 1500m swim with still gas in the tank. The plan seemed to work too good as I ended up coming out of the water nearly 3 minutes behind the rest of the field so I had some room to make up on the bike. The beginning of the bike course was wet and slippery but I managed to keep rubber side down and only got stuck behind slower riders for a few minutes in total. Once the climbing started I had no one in sight and focused only on putting out as much power as possible while staying relaxed for the run to come. I again walked the dreaded blood rock section and hammered the remaining 8 miles like its a mtb race only. Ended up reeling in all the amateur athletes by the time I got off the bike feeling pretty good with 6 miles of running still ahead. The first lap of the run was controlled but even with all the water/Gatorade and gels I ingested during the race I started to cramp in my left hammies that slowed me down quite a bit. I literally walked over the logs and other obstacles with legs extended to prevent a devastating cramp that I had so many times in races like Las Vegas and Hawai'i. With less than half a mile to go I spotted two more athletes, professionals, and surged to pass them. I nearly cramped up but fought it off somehow to finish with my best overall result recorded during my Xterra racing carrier.

7th overall athlete (including the pros) and 1st amateur athlete to cross the finish line means that I've submitted my application for my elite triathlon license so I can compete with the "big boys" from here on.

In retrospect I would've done nothing differently and am extremely happy with the results!

The main goal for the rest of the season is to remain (or become?) injury-free and gain some triathlon-specific strength indispensable in this type of competitions. 

MAGYAR változat

A 2014-es, sikeres, ev utan nagyon vartam, hogy az XTERRA Oak Mountain versenyen vehessek reszt ujbol. Az idei valtozasoknak koszonhetoen az alabamai verseny volt az elso amerikai allomasa a pan-american bajnoksagnak. Ebben a versenysorozatban szerettem volna a 2016-os evet a dobogo legmagasabb fokan zarni. Lehet, hogy ez mar nem fog teljesulni. Az ok, amiert nem nyerhetem meg a versenysorozatot, viszont teljesiti egy masik celomat. Amiota elkezdtem triatlonozni szerettem volna az elit divizioban, a profikkal versenyezni es az alabamai eredmenyemnek koszonhetoen ez valoszinuleg sikerult is.

Sajnos az elokeszuletek nem mentek olyan siman. Meg tavaly, a 2015-os uj-zelandi tartozkodasunk alatt sikerult elszakitani a vadlimban az izmot es egy jo 4 honapos kihagyas sem segitett rajta. Futas kozben mind a mai napig faj az izom es emiatt meg most is csak konnyu futasokat tudok vegezni, rovideket es mindezt fuvon. Az uj-zelandi uszo formamat mar regen elvesztettem a sok utazas es strukturalatlan edzesek miatt. Emiatt a bringa volt az, amiben remenykedtem, hogy megadja a lehetoseget egy esetleges jo eredmenyre.

Szerencsere a verseny az ellenkezoje volt az elojeleknek. Ugyan az uszas elmaradt a varakozasoktol es majd 3 perccel a leggyorsabb uszo mogott fejeztem be az 1500m-es uszast, sikerult legalabb tulelni es nem nagyon zihalva kezdeni a mountain bike reszet a triatlonnak. A 30km-es bringan a terv az volt, hogy ugy tekintsek erre, mintha a verseny celja az a bringa vegen lenne, tehat mindent ki akartam hozni magambol, nem tartalekolva semmit sem. Majd 4 perccel sikerult gyorsabban tekernem, mint 2 evvel ezelott es ez eleg volt arra, hogy behozzam a 3 perces lemaradasomat es a futast az elso helyen kezdjem csak profikkal elottem. A futas elso kore kontrollalt iramban tortent de ez sem tudta megakadalyozni, hogy elkezdjem a combhajlitom gorcsolni a technikas terepen. 800m-rel a cel elott meglattam meg ket profi versenyzot, akikre miutan rafutottam nagy iram kulonbseggel eloztem meg, hogy ne legyen lehetoseguk tartani a lepest velem. Nem sokra ra a combhajlitom kezdte megadni magat, de valahogy sikerult kiharcolni azt, hogy ne alljon teljesen be es ne kelljen negykezlab kuszni a celszalagon at.

Az eredmennyel teljesen elegedett vagyok, pedig ez nem gyakran tortenik meg velem. Az elsojelek pedig biztatoak es ha sikerulne a seruleseket elkerulni a szezon hatralevo reszeben (ami lenyegeben csak most kezdodott meg), akkor meg sok jo eredmenyre szamithatok.

A USAT Elite triathlon licenszre jelentkeztem es ha minden jol megy akkor a legkozelebbi, kanadai, versenyemen mar a profikkal egyutt fogok versenyezni.

Results/Eredmenyek:

2016 Around the Mountain Cycle Challenge. New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. 148km road bike race.
Is it that hard to have just ONE. ONE good race?
Started with the fast group. Dropped my chain not even 2k into the ride. As a result, I lost contact with them and it was impossible to ride myself back to the fast moving peloton. After 10k solo riding I sat up and waited for the second group that started 3 minutes after us. However, there was just no cohesion in there. I did most of the work, pushing hard to keep the pace rich from 40k to 95k. Posted my fastest 40k time en route (59 minutes). Then I realized that I can't work alone so sat back and rode with the group. Then.. at the 100k mark... Bang! A dude crossed in front of me as I was just putting my water bottle back and I crashed hard. Broke my rear shifter/brake lever so I only had two gears to work with from that point on. My elbow and knee was bleeding and my ass was already in pain from the saddle I chose for this ride (Specialized Power). Pedaled by myself until a smaller group caught up to me but I couldn't hang on, lost contact for a second and it was enough to gap me. I had to ride by myself again for the last 20k. My knee pain flared up again like I haven't had enough to worry about..
Lessons learned:
1. A road cycling race is NOT an honest reflection of your cycling ability (skills, strength etc). People in the back can pedal backwards and still go at my pace when I'm up front crunching out 350+ watts.. A 60yr old lady was in the group for god's sake..
Stick with mountain biking. When you go down it's most likely your fault..
2. Do not change a saddle on race day when you have even the tiniest doubt that it'll be comfortable.
3. Take more water with you! I drank only 1.4 liters in 4.5 hrs. Second event in a row where the organizers here in New Zealand don't think riders might need water aid stations along the route.. What's up with that? I organized local 10k and half marathons and we had water stations every 5k along the course. People demand them and it's just normal to have a few along the course..
4. Don't think that cycling is all about getting in them miles. I have neglected strength training lately therefore my knee pain returned (IMO).
Basically, I paid $95 to walk away with cuts and bruises, damaged bike, ego. On the other hand I have learned a lot from this "race".